In the dimly lit streets, the young noble and Bai Li were fleeing from Red Robe Alley, first heading north, then turning west.
Their usual composure was gone, their clothes torn in several places, and their hair disheveled.
As they ran, panting heavily, a sudden, deafening explosion echoed behind them, shaking the entire city of Luo.
Dogs in every household began barking furiously.
Bai Li stopped in her tracks, turning back with a worried expression.
"What happened? What was that noise?"
The young noble thought for a moment.
"It sounded like someone used a firearm... When I watched the Divine Machine Battalion practice with their cannons, it was the same kind of sound."
"Firearms?!" Bai Li's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately turned to head back toward Anxi Street.
The young noble's face turned pale, and he quickly grabbed her arm.
"Little ancestor, what are you doing? We barely managed to escape!"
Bai Li turned back, her voice urgent.
"That firearm... could it have been used against the person who just saved us? Even a high-ranking official would have to retreat in the face of such power. How could he possibly withstand it?"
The young noble hesitated.
"Logically, the Divine Machine Battalion is stationed a hundred miles away. They wouldn't enter Luo City unless something major happened. And even if they did, they wouldn't dare use firearms within the city. I think it might be something else... Should we go back and save him? That hero saved us; we can't just abandon him."
"Do you have any way to save him?" Bai Li asked.
The young noble thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth.
"If we just run back, we won't be able to save him. Come with me to the Thousand-Year Army camp. We'll ask Uncle Wang to send troops to surround Red Robe Alley. If we can convince him to send the Thousand-Year Army, even the elite Troubleshooter Guards won't stand a chance. They only have five hundred men!"
"But can we really convince Uncle Wang? He won't move without Father's tiger tally," Bai Li worried.
"I'll kowtow to him if I have to. It'll work!"
Bai Li: "..."
At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats approached from the distance.
The young noble quickly pulled Bai Li into a dark alley, covering them both with a discarded bamboo basket.
Moments later, five hundred Troubleshooter Guards rode past the alley.
Their wide-brimmed hats, raincoats, and waist knives gleamed coldly under the moonlight, giving off an air of solemnity.
Beside Lin Chaoqing, a young man reined in his horse.
"Sir, will Golden Pig fall this time?"
"No," Lin Chaoqing replied calmly.
"He mobilized the Troubleshooter Guards from our Mengjin camp without permission and returned empty-handed, not capturing a single Jing Dynasty rebel. Why don't we take this opportunity to arrest him and bring him back to the capital?" the young man asked, puzzled.
"Even if we bring this to the Imperial Chancellor, we're in the right. These spies from the Twelve Zodiacs are arrogant and overbearing. Capturing them would be doing the people a favor."
Lin Chaoqing looked straight ahead, his posture straight as a spear even on horseback.
"The Moon Rabbit and Cloud Sheep have no backing within the spy agency, so dealing with them is one thing. But Golden Pig is different. He's been loyal to the Imperial Chancellor for years, and he has the protection of the Heavenly Horse. A small matter like this won't be enough to bring him down."
As they spoke, the Troubleshooter Guards gradually faded into the distance.
After a while, the young noble confirmed that the alley was clear and removed the bamboo basket.
"It seems they didn't catch anyone. We don't need to go back and save him. That person is really impressive, managing to escape from both the spy agency and the Troubleshooter Guards."
Bai Li hesitated for a moment.
"Brother, do you recognize the person who saved us? Did he seem familiar to you?"
The young noble scratched his head awkwardly.
"I was too focused on escaping at the time. I didn't get a good look... Maybe it's someone I befriended in the martial world? Seeing us in danger, he came to our rescue."
At the mention of those martial friends, Bai Li couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"What kind of people have you befriended? They all run away at the first sign of danger! It definitely wasn't them. They're all fake friends!"
"Well, some of them are decent..."
"Anyway, I won't be paying for their drinks anymore," Bai Li said angrily.
"They spend money like water when they drink, always picking the best food and wine, and they talk a big game about chivalry and righteousness. But when it really matters, none of them are reliable. It's not about the money; I just can't stand their empty talk."
The young noble scratched his head.
"Alright, alright, no more paying for their drinks... By the way, you said the person who saved us seemed familiar. Did you recognize him?"
Bai Li fell silent for a moment.
"No, I didn't recognize him either."
Deep down, she had a suspicion, but she chose not to voice it.
Instead, she buried it in her heart, planning to investigate it herself.
Bai Li pulled out her hairpin and tied her hair back up before setting off again.
The two of them sneaked their way back to Anxi Street, and when they finally saw the guards and the plaque of the Jing Prince's residence, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Instead of climbing over the back garden wall to return to the residence, Bai Li suddenly said to the young noble, "Brother, let's go back through the Peace Clinic. There's a ladder there."
The young noble, panting heavily with his hands on his knees, looked at her in surprise.
"Earlier tonight, you said you'd never go through the Peace Clinic again, that you wouldn't let that little thief Chen Ji earn any more passage fees from you. Why the change of heart?"
Bai Li rolled her eyes.
"I just don't feel like climbing walls anymore, okay? A ladder is much more convenient."
The young noble rolled his eyes too.
"Women are so fickle."
The two of them quietly slipped to the entrance of the Peace Clinic, but when they tried to open the door, they found it bolted from the inside.
Bai Li thought for a moment, then called out, "Chen Ji, Chen Ji, we're here to pay your passage fee!"
Silence.
No response.
Bai Li's suspicion grew stronger.
She bent down and called through the crack in the door, "Chen Ji, this time we'll give you ten taels of silver!"
Still, there was no response.
Bai Li muttered, "He's really not here."
Just as she finished speaking, the door creaked open.
Bai Li was startled and slowly looked up to see Old Man Yao standing calmly at the door.
She awkwardly said, "Old Man Yao, did we disturb you? Where's Chen Ji? Why didn't he come to open the door?"
Old Man Yao's expression was impassive.
"Young Lady and Young Master, what are you doing running around the Peace Clinic in the middle of the night? I'm ninety-two years old. I can't handle this kind of disturbance."
Bai Li quickly came up with an excuse.
"Old Man Yao, my brother and I aren't feeling well. Can you let us in and check our pulses?"
Old Man Yao glanced at her, then reached out across the threshold and took her wrist to check her pulse.
After a moment, he said, "You're sick in the head. I can't treat that. Please leave."
"Are you sure you checked the right pulse? Let me come in and sit down so you can check again," Bai Li said, trying to squeeze past Old Man Yao, but he quickly closed the door.
With a loud thud, the wooden door shut firmly.
Old Man Yao's voice drifted through the crack in the door.
"Young Lady and Young Master, please find another way back to the residence. If you keep causing trouble, I'll report this to the prince when he returns."
Bai Li wanted to knock again, but the young noble pulled her away.
"Let's go, let's go. Chen Ji probably already upset Old Man Yao by letting us through. We shouldn't make things harder for him. Let's go back through the garden. If Old Man Yao really reports this to Father, your monthly allowance might be cut..."
Bai Li was dragged away, looking back at the closed door several times, but she had no choice but to give up on finding out the truth.
She wondered to herself: Could it be that Chen Ji hasn't returned yet, and Old Man Yao is covering for him? That must be it...
But if, as the Troubleshooter Guards said, the spy agency didn't catch Chen Ji, where could he be now?
...
...
Under the cover of night, Chen Ji limped through the maze of narrow alleys.
He stopped for a moment, panting heavily, and bent down to untie the cloth bandage wrapped around the wound on his right leg, then tightened it again.
The wounds on his chest and leg were excruciating, but he didn't have time to rest.
There was still work to be done tonight.
Chen Ji looked around, then continued running toward the meeting point he had arranged with Wu Yun.
After turning a couple more corners, he saw Wu Yun crouched on the eaves of a wall, looking down at him with concern.
"Are you alright?"
Chen Ji bent over, catching his breath.
"Golden Pig is probably at the Seeking Dao realm. Even with such a powerful explosive, I couldn't kill him. The strength of a high-ranking official is truly unfathomable. This world is even more terrifying than I imagined. If it weren't for the explosives I had on me, I'd probably be on my way to the inner prison right now."
Wu Yun meowed again.
"I was asking about your injuries. Shouldn't you go back to your master and let him treat your wounds?"
Chen Ji shook his head.
"No, I have to kill Manager Yuan first. Tonight, the spy agency surrounded the Golden Workshop. If he thinks I leaked the information, he's probably already planning how to kill me... Do you know where he is now?"
Wu Yun replied, "He finished delivering goods to the other clinics at noon, then went straight back to his residence on Tongji Street. He hasn't come out since."
Earlier that day, Manager Yuan had driven his ox cart to deliver goods to the Peace Clinic.
When he left, two tabby cats had secretly followed him, tracking his movements.
Chen Ji and Wu Yun had split up earlier, with Wu Yun going to find those two tabby cats.
Chen Ji frowned.
"So Manager Yuan knew about Golden Pig's plan to surround the Golden Workshop as early as noon... Who told him? It must have been one of those dozen clinics! Wu Yun, which clinics did he visit?"
Wu Yun shook his head.
"The tabby cats can't remember that much information. They can only recall part of it."
Chen Ji thought for a moment.
"Alright, as long as Manager Yuan dies, it doesn't matter who gave him the information."
With that, he leaned against the wall and stood up, ready to continue on his way.
But after killing six spies earlier and then leaping across rooftops to escape after injuring Golden Pig, he was completely exhausted.
After just a few steps, his legs gave out, and he could barely move.
Wu Yun said worriedly, "Shouldn't you go back to the clinic?"
Chen Ji shook his head.
"Take me to his residence. Manager Yuan must die tonight."
...
...
Tongji Street had always been a place where merchants gathered to live.
Unlike the residences of scholarly families, the stone lions in front of the gates here were more imposing, the carriages parked outside more luxurious, and the plaques and lintels taller, as if each house was trying to outdo its neighbors.
According to Ning Dynasty law, merchants and actors were not allowed to ride in carriages.
Only those with the status of a scholar or higher could do so.
But in recent years, as more and more private workshops sprang up and the number of merchants increased, they began to rely on their connections to convert their cargo carts into carriages.
When caught, they would bribe their way out, and the law gradually became a dead letter.
At this moment, a mansion on Tongji Street was as quiet as a tomb, with no servants or attendants in sight.
Manager Yuan sat in the main hall with the doors and windows tightly shut.
Despite the late hour, he was still fully dressed, as if patiently waiting for the long night to pass.
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound coming from outside the door.
The sound was sharp and out of place in the midnight silence.
Manager Yuan stood up solemnly and slowly approached the door, pressing his ear against the crack to listen...
With a creak, someone outside opened his window, tossed in a bamboo tube, and then carefully closed the window again.
Oh no!
Manager Yuan saw the fuse on the bamboo tube burning down and immediately tried to burst through the door.
But it seemed like someone had propped a wooden beam against it from the outside, and he couldn't push it open!
"Trying to kill me? Open up!"
With a furious shout, Manager Yuan struck the double doors with both palms, and the wooden doors shattered under the immense force!
A master of his level couldn't be stopped by a mere door.
But after breaking through the door, Manager Yuan didn't see anyone outside.
Instead, he saw another bamboo tube with its fuse already burned out, placed neatly not far from the door.
It was over!
Manager Yuan didn't know whether to advance or retreat.
With a deafening explosion, the bamboo tubes inside and outside the room detonated simultaneously.
The mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal ignited violently, and the sugar mixed with the gunpowder released a massive amount of gas under the high heat.
In an instant, a powerful shockwave swept through the room, carrying shards of iron from the bamboo tube and shredding Manager Yuan's clothes.
With another loud boom, the brick walls of the house couldn't withstand the pressure, and the roof collapsed in a cascade of tiles, burying Manager Yuan under a mountain of debris!
Chen Ji emerged from a corner of the courtyard, his ears ringing as if a loud metallic noise was roaring in his head.
He couldn't hear anything from the outside world and cautiously watched the pile of rubble.
Was Manager Yuan dead?
The first bamboo tube had exploded in mid-air, so the gunpowder's full power hadn't been unleashed.
This time, the bamboo tube had exploded inside the room.
Even though Manager Yuan had broken through the door, the explosion's power had multiplied.
Chen Ji kept hoping: He's dead.
Manager Yuan must be dead!
But... there was no icy flow!
Chen Ji staggered toward the rubble, wanting to dig through the tiles and deliver a final blow.
But after just a few steps, he heard a cracking sound.
The pile of rubble suddenly shifted!
Chen Ji's expression turned grave as he stepped back...
Manager Yuan was still moving!?
(End of Chapter)